Conforming limb guard

ABSTRACT

A protective limb guard device for use in athletic or sporting activities is provided wherein the device comprises layers of conformable impact absorbing material that are formed to meet the shape of the user&#39;s limbs without the need for custom fitting. The limb guard of the present invention may include an inflatable tube instead of a layer of impact absorbing material.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of pending U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/173,033, filed Mar. 19, 2007, titled “ConformingProtective Leg Guard Device” which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

When athletes and other participants in contact sport such as soccer,hockey, rugby, football, baseball, etc. desire protection for theirexposed limbs, they utilize some of the available devices such as paddedsocks, shin guards, and the like. These devices are meant to protect theshins and sometimes calf areas of the limb by providing a rigid outershell, and in some cases, a soft material adhered to the rigid bodywherein the soft side contacts the user's limb. Soccer is notable asmost of the impact and injuries from the sports occur in the player'sshins and calves. With the increasing popularity of soccer andparticipation in baseball and hockey, especially by the youth,preventable injuries should be minimized as much as possible.

It is very common that a soccer player is impacted in the calf area aswell as along the shin, and given the soft tissue in the calf area, withthe force of such impacts causing many fractures. The typical shin guardoffers some protection for the shin area, although it is now known thatthe effectiveness of such protection is not optimal.

Typical shin guards are effective in absorbing about 70% of the impactenergy and have less than optimal material to absorb large quantities ofenergy, which might explain the increasing number of fracture injuries,even when the user is wearing a shin guard. Further, shin guards aretypically worn to protect the shin leaving the other spheres of the limbexposed to impact-type injuries. Due to the rigid materials that areused for shin guards, the product is typically preformed to sizes andusers have to fit and use the available sizes, without regard to theuniqueness of the limb. In particular, there have not been any knownmanufactured limb guard for arms.

It is therefore recognized that an athlete may be wearing a protectivedevice such as a shin guard but does not gain the full protection thatshe needs for a contact sport. The need to offer increased protectionfor the exposed limbs in athletic activities is known. This inventiondiscloses a full body protection for the limb area that is conformableto fit the shape of the limb and offers increased absorption forimpact-type injuries.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a conformable protective device forexposed limbs such as arm and leg parts from impact-type injuries,especially for athletic and sports activities. The present inventionprovides a conformable protective device that substantially protects thewhole exposed limb and not only a side, as with the typical shin guard.The conformable protective device of the present invention preferablycomprises an outer soft layer that substantially covers the conformingcomponent of the protective device. The conforming component of thepresent invention is substantially flexible to form a fit in the mannerof the shape of the user's limb to protect the whole—front, side andrear of the limb.

The present invention also provides a multilayer device that providesfor impact absorption, impact dissipation and residual absorption. It isan objective of the present invention to provide a protective devicethat can be sufficiently flexible to form around the user's limb andprovide more than adequate protection against impact-type injuries. Theflexibility of the device of the present invention provides an advantageover typical shin guards and calf guards as the protective device ispreferably made from a single or even multiple devices for use toprotect legs from injury.

The present invention further provides a multilayer impact absorptionmaterial that may include a layer of gel, inflatable bulb or othersolutions that may serve the impact modification purpose as well asbeing usable in a thin form as a protective device for athletes.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the disclosures together with the included drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a conformable protective device forlimbs according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a conformable protective device forlimbs according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conformable protective device forlimbs showing the fit in a limb according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conformable protective device forlimbs showing the fit on an arm according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an expanded view of a conformable protective device for limbsaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another expanded view of a conformable protective device forlimbs according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an expanded and spread view of a 3-layer conformableprotective device for limbs according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an expanded and spread view of a 4-layer conformableprotective device for limbs according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-8 illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Theembodiments of the present invention depict in general, the inventionand are not intended to be limiting. In this disclosure, terms such asconformable limb guard, protective device for limbs and conformabledevice are used interchangeably to represent the present invention of adevice usable to protect limbs from impact-type injury associated withactivities such as sports. The present invention provides asubstantially conformable protective device usable to preventimpact-type injury in athletic events such as soccer, rugby, cricket,football, baseball, etc. wherein the shin, calf, arm or other limbs areexposed. The present invention provides a conformable material thatforms to fit the limb of a user. Generally, the present inventionprovides a conformable protective device having layers wherein a first(an outermost) layer, even without a covering, serves to absorb animpact, at least a second layer serves to support the outermost andimpact absorbing layer while reacting to the diminished impact force,and preferably a tertiary layer that absorbs any residual force. In eachof these embodiments, the innermost layer may contact the skin of theuser and is preferably suitable for such contact without any unduedamage to the skin of the user.

In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present inventionin the form of a conformable limb guard 10 having a conformable shell100 that covers at least three (3) layers of impact absorbing material.In some instances, a single layer serves as the conformable shell andthe outermost impact absorbing layer 120. In the illustrated embodiment,the outermost layer 120 is adhered or operably attached to the shell100. There is preferably an intermediate layer 130 and yet another layerof energy absorbing material 140. While the conventional shin guard orother protective devices provide a hard and commonly pre-molded elementas the outermost layer and inner layers of foam or other dampeningmaterial; the present invention provides at least three (3) layers ofenergy absorbing material formed to allow for a fit that is notpre-molded as described below. The outer conforming shell 100 of thepresent invention preferably is of the length that sufficiently coversthe area of a limb that the user intends to protect from impact-basedinjury. In some instances, the conforming shell 100 covering may bedecorative or have some insignia that displays form, language,advertisement, branding or a combination of such displays. Theconforming shell 100 may be made of fabric or garment type material.This fabric or garment serves to cover the outer impact absorbing layerof the present invention.

The outermost impact absorption layer 120 of the present invention ispreferably made from material that is conformable and provides impactabsorption. Such materials include Sorbathane, Impact ModifiedPolymethylmetracrylate (IM PMMA), High Molecular Weight High DensityPolyethylene (HMW HDPE), Neoprene, latex, polypropylene, KEVLAR, 3Dbraided composites, and the like. The inventor recognizes the use ofdifferent materials for impact absorption and the advances yet to bemade in such materials. This disclosure intends to utilize such advancesas within the scope of this invention. The materials usable in thepresent invention are preferably effective in thin configurations toprovide effectiveness without the unneeded bulkiness to make the productcumbersome to use. Each layer of the present invention is preferablymade to absorb impact and dissipate the impact energy. Preferably, theoutermost layer 120 is sufficiently conformable or malleable to beformed into the full limb protective device of the present invention asillustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective deviceof the present invention may be wrapped around the limb needingprotection and may form a seam 110 as illustrated. FIG. 2 is anembodiment of the present invention as it is fully formed about the limbof a user.

In each instance according to the present invention, the layers, whetherthe innermost or the outermost impact absorption layers are preferablemade from material that serve to absorb and dissipate the impactassociated with the sports activities. Conventional shin guards providean outermost rigid casing with a softer inner layer, in contrast to thepresent invention which provides conformable impact absorbing layerswith each layer suitable to absorb the impact energy and prevent theinjuries that are commonplace in such sport activities. Another benefitof the present invention is the ease in protecting the whole limb, notonly the front or occasionally the back of the limb. The presentinvention provides coverage due to the conformability to all the limbs,thus providing an increased protection to the user. It is an addedadvantage that the user needs not be concerned about the shape of his orher limb, given the flexibility provided by the conformability of thedevice.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention illustrating theconformable protective device 30 as described in FIG. 1 having anextended fabric portion 150. Such fabric or garment portion according tothe present invention may be an extension of the outer conforming shell100 or a designed band to further secure the conformable device of thepresent invention when in use.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention illustrating theconformable protective device for limbs 40 used on a front part of anarm. The conformable limb guard device of the present invention for anarm 400 is usable protect all sides of an arm and similar to the deviceas illustrated for the leg in FIGS. 1-3. It should be noted that thedevice of the present invention may be used to protect the upper arm(not shown).

FIG. 5 is an unwrapped embodiment 50 of the present invention displayingthe ends 510 and 520 that are usable to attach one end to another end toform the conformable limb guard of the present invention. The ends 510and 520 may be made from any combination of materials usable to operablyattach or adhere two ends of the conformable material of the presentinvention. Such combinations may include zippers, Hook and Loop, Velcro®locking systems, repositionable adhesives, or other systems usableindividually or in combination to operably attach or adhere the ends ofthe conformable limb guard. Where the closing or attachment systemsinclude the use of an adhesive, such adhesives should be repositionableto facilitate multiple and repeated usage of the conformable limb guard.

Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention in a more rectangular pattern. While not wishing to berestricted to the illustrated embodiment, the recloseable portion of theprotective device 610 and 620 is preferably broader to accommodate thevariations in body contours and provide effective seal. As discussed inother embodiments, the ends of the layers of the present invention maycomprise at least a means to close join or operably attach the ends toform the conformable protective device for limbs. In some cases, suchclosure means may be an adhesive, zipper or mechanical closing processor product such as Velcro® hook and loop systems.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are expanded and schematic illustrations of the 3- and4-layer compositions according to the present invention. Theseillustrations show the layers of impact absorbing material that areusable in the present invention.

A layer of the present invention, preferably not the outermost ones, maybe an inflatable bulb instead of an impact absorbing material. Thepurpose of such inflatable layer would be to provide impact absorptionin the inflated space. It is also recognized that a gel-filled layersuitable to absorb impact-type energies can be usable according to thepresent invention. If gels, inflatable bulbs, or other solution basedimpact absorption material is used in lieu of traditional impactabsorption material, efforts to prevent the leakage or otherwise damageto the effectiveness of such layers should be incorporated.

It is noteworthy that some of the structures described in the presentinvention in single terms, such as layer, seal, and the like, are forillustration only. More of these structures may be needed to effectivelycarry out this invention as disclosed.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that theteachings found herein may be applied to yet other embodiments.

1. A protective device for limbs comprising: a substantially conformableand impact absorbing first layer; at least a second layer of impactabsorbing material, wherein the first and the at least a second layerbeing operably attached and having opposite ends; a recloseable meansfor the opposite ends of the impact absorbing material, wherein one endis complementary to the opposite end; thereby providing a formed devicethat conforms to the shape of the limb and provides protection againstimpact-type injury during sporting activities.
 2. The protective deviceof claim 1, wherein the conformable layers include at least three impactabsorbing layers that are operably attached to each other.
 3. Theprotective device of claim 1, wherein the conformable layers include atleast four impact absorbing layers that are operably attached to eachother.
 4. The protective device of claim 1, wherein the conformablelayers include at least an inflatable air chamber instead of one impactabsorbing layer that are operably attached to each other.
 5. Theprotective device of claim 1, wherein the recloseable means is selectedfrom Velcro® locking systems, Hook and Loop, zipper, adhesive orcombination thereof.
 6. The protective device of claim 1, wherein theconformable layers include an outer layer that is usable for messaging.7. The protective device of claim 1, wherein the limbs include arms andlegs.